First Stuxnet, now Flame

[Marf]

"Flame and Stuxnet makers 'co-operated' on code"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18393985

[Mermaid]

U.S., Israel created 'Flame' virus aimed at Iran


The countries jointly developed the sophisticated computer virus that collected critical intelligence in preparation for cyber sabotage attacks aimed at slowing Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon, according to Western officials with knowledge of the effort.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-secur...

[McHaggis]

Mermaid said:

U.S., Israel created 'Flame' virus aimed at Iran


The countries jointly developed the sophisticated computer virus that collected critical intelligence in preparation for cyber sabotage attacks aimed at slowing Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon, according to Western officials with knowledge of the effort.

Could you add a link to that? It sounds a bit like an excerpt from a news story?

[I agree with the statement though]

[hornet]

If you were working for a legitimate private computing enterprise and GCHQ/NSA/whoever phoned you up one day and said "we'd like you to come and do some work for us...", would you be in any sort of position to say "no thanks"? I'm guessing the intelligence community has people in most of the big computing concerns already anyway?

[McHaggis]

Yes, they probably do.

And inside most systems integrators, outsourcers,, etc. Where they don't have them directly embedded - they have very good links...

[elster]

Now they have admitted this is it construed as a casus belli?

[superkartracer]

Mermaid said:

U.S., Israel created 'Flame' virus aimed at Iran


The countries jointly developed the sophisticated computer virus that collected critical intelligence in preparation for cyber sabotage attacks aimed at slowing Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon, according to Western officials with knowledge of the effort.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-secur...

Clear act of war then, what if that had hit Russia or China.... scary stuff

[McHaggis]

elster said:

Now they have admitted this is it construed as a casus belli?

"according to Western officials with knowledge of the effort."

So an uncitable source, hardly constitutes a sanctioned statement, so hardly an act of war. Like spying and assassinations, it's part of the game, it's just evolved.

Plenty of analogous situations in the past of spying, intercept and damage caused by the intel. agencies, no-one has declared war from them before?